Alabama Supercomputer Authority
The Alabama Supercomputer Authority (ASA) is a state-funded non-profit
corporation founded in 1989 to operate the Alabama Supercomputer Center and
the Alabama Research and Education Network (AREN). ASA is helping
to move the State of Alabama forward in technology through leading edge advances
and services in Internet services, networking, custom applications development,
and supercomputing. Through the support of the Alabama Legislature, funding
for this work is possible through the Education Trust Fund, E-rate funds,
and fees paid by clients.
Research and Technology
INVESTIGATING CHILDREN'S EMERGING DIGITAL LITERACIES
This article compares the development of children's digital literacy in low-
and middle-income households. The results also show that children's digital
literacy skills are emerging in ways that reflect local circumstances, such
as the length of time children had a computer at home; the family's ability
to purchase stable Internet connectivity; the number of computers in the
home and where they are located (bedroom or public area); parents' attitudes
toward computer use; parents' own experience and skills with computers; children's
leisure time at home; the computing habits of children's peers; the technical
expertise of friends, relatives, and neighbors; homework assignments; and
the direct instruction provided by teachers in the classroom. This article
describes a useful framework for defining digital literacy and provides recommendations
to schools and policymakers regarding ways to support the acquisition of
digital literacy by children in low-income households. http://www.bc.edu/research/intasc/jtla/journal/v1n4.shtml
Education and the Internet
Whether you're looking for a step-by-step lesson on the discovery of America
or want to discuss the economics of tourism, MarcoPolo
(http://www.marcopolo-education.org) combines the technology of the
Internet and a variety of rich content that will increase your students'
understanding of key concepts and application of those skills in a real-world
context. Some of the best-of-the-best lessons are provided below for your
classroom use:
"The Busy Brain" (Grades 3-5) (Science
NetLinks, American Association for the Advancement of Science) Students will
learn how the brain interacts with the rest of the body. http://www.marcopolo-education.org/partner/14aaas_busybrain.cfm
"What They Left Behind: Early Multi-National
Influences in the United States" (Grades 3-8) (EDSITEment,
National Endowment for the Humanities) Help your students make connections
between European voyages of discovery, colonial spheres of influence,
and various aspects of American culture. http://www.marcopolo-education.org/partner/14neh_left.cfm
"Geography of a Pizza" (Grades 3-5) (Xpeditions,
National Geographic Society)
Students learn the concept of spatial organization by selecting a local pizza
delivery restaurant and determining its delivery routes. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/03/g35/pizza.html
"The Factor Game" (Grades 6-8) (Illuminations,
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) This interactive lesson gives
students an opportunity to learn about factors by playing a two-person board
game.
http://illuminations.nctm.org/lessonplans/6-8/factorgame/index.html
"Save the Moonflowers" (Grades 9-12) (EconEdLink,
National Council on Economic Education) Students will learn about the consequences
of their actions by identifying and comparing alternatives to choices they
or others make.
http://www.marcopolo-education.org/partner/14ncee_teacher.cfm
"The Decades Mural Project" (Grades 5-8) (ARTSEDGE,
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts) Teams of students work together to
create 4' x 5' murals depicting major events of each decade of the twentieth
century, beginning in the 1920s.
http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/teaching_materials/curricula/curriculum.cfm?curriculum_id=69&mode=overview
News You Can Use
This year's "State of our Schools" broadcast will air
LIVE on Alabama Public Television from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Oct. 10. The format
will be an electronic town hall meeting originating in Montgomery with remote
sites in Auburn, Birmingham, Huntsville, Mobile, and Tuscaloosa. At each
site a representative group of Alabamians (young, old, black, white, parents,
non-parents, educators, non-educators, business and civic leaders) will participate.
Each segment of the program will begin with a pre-packaged video topic. Afterwards,
Dr. Richardson and guests will answer questions from various audience members
from across the state.
The Internet Science and Technology Fair (ISTF) challenges teams of students in grades 3-12 to use information technology tools as they apply the scientific inquiry process to real-world problems. Student teams' projects must focus on topics related to the National Critical Technologies and that are vital to our country's economy and national security. Student teams must also adhere to ISTF Content Guidelines. Final research projects are submitted in a web page format and judged at multiple levels. The official start date for open enrollment for teams is September 16, 2002. Related URL:http://istf.ucf.edu/default.asp